Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola's husband dies in plane accident

Mary Peltola has seven children, including three stepchildren from her late husband. 
Gene and Mary Peltola, Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2023

Alaska Democrat Rep. Mary Peltola's husband, Eugene Peltola, Jr., died Wednesday morning following a plane accident in Alaska, the congresswoman's office said.

"Mary is returning home to be with their family, and we ask that their privacy be respected during this time," Peltola's chief of staff Anton McParland said.

Mary Peltola, who won Alaska's special election in 2022 to fill a vacancy left when Rep. Don Young died, has seven children, including three stepchildren from her late husband. 

Eugene Peltola, who worked as the regional director for Alaska's Bureau of Indian Affairs, is remembered as "one of those people that was obnoxiously good at everything," the congresswoman's office said.

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